Apparatus for treating shale and like material



L. B. ARD.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING SHALE AND LIKE MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED m1. 4. 1921.

1,373,699. Patented Apr. 5,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l. (2 5 36 ATTORNEYS L. B. ARD. APPARATUS FOR TREATING SHALE AND LIKE MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4,1921.

INVENTUR 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

ATTORNEYS ence being bad to the accompanying draw- LIGONB. ARI OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING: SHALE D LIKE MATERIAL.

To allwhomtmyconc'ern: 1 5

Be it known that I, Lroon B. Ann, a citi zen of the United States, residing at New York cit in the county of New York, State of ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Shale and like Materi'al, of which the following is a description, referings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to apparatus for treating shaleand like material containing volatile matter to extract such volatile matter, and my invention has for its objectto j provide an apparatus for this purpose which will be simple and relatively inexpensive in construction, efficient andeconomical in operation, and by use'of which "the shale orother material may be discharged into abath of molten metal at such depth below its surface that in rising to the surface it will be heated to the temperature necessary to drive oil the volatile matter. A particularobject of my invention is to provide means by which the'upward movement'of the'material to be treated through the molten metal will be positively controlled so that, on the one hand, its upward movement will be insured and, on the other hand, its upward movement will not be too rapid to prevent its being sufliciently heated. 1

With the above described objects and 9 other objects hereinafter described in. view my invention consists in the construction and combination of elements hereinafterde scribed and particularly pointed out in the claims. 1

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale5of the upper portion of the retort embodying'my invention i showing the mechanism by which the material to be treated is crushed and introduced J intothe conveyer by which it is carried'to the lower end ofthe'r'etort. f f 1 Fig. 2 is-a detailperspecti ve view of the device for crushing the material to be treat: ed, and forcing it nto the upper end of the, conveyer, and I v 1 v Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional view of a complete apparatus embodying my "in vention. I M

In the drawings 1 indicates a retort which may be of any usual construction but is here shown as comprising a cylindrical body portion having flanges at its ends to which are Specification of Letters Patent.

the material upward.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

Application filed February 4, 1921. Serial No. 442,398.

suitably secured a bottom 2 and a top or cover-"3, the top or cover being removably secured as by bolts 4. The bottom 2' is provided at its center with a pin 5 projecting upward adapted to serve as a bearing for the conveyer. The top or cover 3 has a central opening 6, and surrounding this opening and extendin opening 6 the'top or cover 3 is recessed at upward therefrom is .a tube 7. At the inner end of the central 8 to receive the upper end of a tube 9 which extends nearly to the bottom of the retort.

Within this tube 9 is arranged a screw conveyor 10. "At itslower end this conveyer is mountedto rotate on the pin 5'extending up-:

ward from the bottom 2 offtheretort, and securedto its lower end is a disk 11 provided at suitable points on its periphery with I uprights12 and 13lwhich carry thelower end of a tube 15 which extends, to the top or; cover 3, surrounding the tube 9 and suitably spaced therefrom except nearits lower end where it is provided with a shoulder 16 to form a support and bearing for the lower end of this tube 9.

" This tube 15 is provided with a helix or helical vane 17 of relatively thinfmetal extending nearly to the walls of the retort.

This helix terminates a substantial distance below the top or cover 3 and, between the upper end of the helix and the to or cover V is arranged a disk 20 carried by t e tube 15 -which serves to protect the upper bearings of the tubes 9 and 15 from spent material which might tend to. accumulate about them. In the plane of the disk 20 an opening 21 is formed in the wall of the body of the retort opening is provided in the top or cover 3 leading. to a pipe 28 through which the 'volatile'matter driven off from the shale or for discharge of the spent material, and an other. material treated may be carried off to be condensed into oil in the usual way. g

' The lower end of the tube 15 and the disk lil are spaced .apart a suflicient distance to leave an opening 22 for the free discharge of thematerial treated from the lower end 1 ofv the conveyer.

The screw of he, screwconveyer 10 and the, helix' .1? carried by the tube '15 are oppositely pitched so that when rotated to-,

gether the screw conveyerhwli llcp'ryspe p e e x I W1 carry.

terial"downward and t The tube 7 formed on the upper faceof the top or cover 3 is provided'on one side v meshes a bevel pinion 35 on a driven; shaft.

' 21 with melted lead, sufiicient volatile matter takes with an opening 24 and about this opening is secured the lower end of a chute or hopper 25 for the material to be treated. lV1thin this tube 7 is arranged a lining tube 26 preferably of specially hard steel, hav ng an opening 27 on one side registering with the opening 24 in tube 7. Within this lining tube 26 is arranged a rotary crushing and feeding device 30 having formed thereon a helix '31 of the shape shown having its helices relativelywide apart and of relatively small diameter midway between its ends and approaching each other toward its lower end where" they are of substantially the full diameter of the interior of the lining tube 26 so that the material may enter freely opposite the openings 2l2? and in relatively large pieces and, being caught by the helices, will be forced downward and be caused to pass through the narrow passages between the helices at the lower end of the device so that the material will enter the upper end of the conve er 10 in finely divided condition and wi l, by the conveyer, be forced downward through the tube 9 to be discharged through the opening.

The crushing and feeding device is of relatively massive construction and the inner or lining tube 26 is made removable 'so that it can readily be replaced when worn.

This crushing and feeding device is carried by a stub shaft 32' which extends up' ward through a cap 33 removably secured,

tube 7. On the upper end of this stub shaft 32 is secured a bevelwheel 34 with which 36 carried in a bearing on an arm 37 secured to the tube 7.

The retort may be heated by any conven ient means, not necessary to be showmand is filled nearly to the level of the opening heat being maintained to keep the lead in molten condition. The shale or other material to be treated is supplied by the chute or hopper 25 through the opening 24-27 to the crushing and feeding device by which the lumps,

if any, are crushed by the downward pres;

sure causing the material to pass through the relatively small openings at the base of the device, the material thus comminuted.

passing from the crushing and feedingv device through the opening 6 to the screw conveyer by which it is forced downward to be discharged through the opening 22 into the molten lead by which it'is quickly heated to the temperature necessary to drive off the volatile matter carried by it. When the material to be treated is veryfinely divided this heating to the temperature necessary to-the complete driving off of the place quickly but when less finely divided the process isnecessarily slower. The helices 17 serve to somewhat the screw the retort and wider apart toward the top thus causing a greater retardation of the material when first subjected to the action of the molten metal and permitting it to rise more rapidly as it approaches the top and becomes nearly or quite freed from volatile matter.

I do not herein claim the method oftreating shale and like material carried out by the apparatus herein described as that method forms the subject of a separate application for patent filed by me on F ebruary 3, 1921, Serial No. 442,142. Having thus described my invention what I claim is;

l. The combination with a, heated retort containing molten metal, of a conveyer and means for rotating it arranged to deliver the material to be treated at a point near the bottom of the Jretort below the surface of the molten metal, and means for retarding the upward movement of the material retort below the surface of the molten metal,

and means for retarding the upward movement of the material through'the molten metal comprising a helical vane surrounding conveyor and arranged to rotate with it, the screw of the conveyor and the helical vane being of opposite pitch.

3. The combination of a heated retort contaimng molten metal, of a screw. conveyer extending downward'intothe retort and adapted to deliver material at a point I near the bottom of the retortbelow the surface of the molten metal, and means for retarding the upward movement of the material through themolten metal comprising afhelical vane surrounding the screw conveyeriand arranged to rotate with it, the

screw of the conveyer and the helical vane being of'opposite pitch-and the helices of the helical vane be ng nearer together at the lower end than atits upper endl I In testimonyiwhereof I a'fiix my signature this. 2nd day of F ebrlia 'rv, 1921.

l LIGON B. ARD. 

